Construction of fire-proof buildings



(No Model.)

. R. GUAS'TAVINO, Jr.

cosrmm'rlolsrl oP- PIRE PROOF BUILDINGS. Nol 468,871.

rn: ams paens co., pum-wurm., msnmmun. D. c.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Patented Feb. 16, 1892.

2 sheetssheet v l2.

` (No Model.)

` R. GUASTAVINO, Jr. CONSTRUCTION OI FIRE PROOF BUILDINGS. I A No.468,871. Patented Peb. 16, 1892.

:ns co., moro-urnvusumofon u c UNITED STATES PATENT 'Y OFFICE. l

RAFAEL GUASTAVINO, JR., OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CONSTRUCTION OF FIRE-PROOF BUILDINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 468,871, dated February16, 1892. Application filed April 18, 1F91. Serial No. 889,511. (Nomodel.)

Jr., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, in thecounty of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in the Construction of Fire-Proof Buildings, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to the construction of vaults or archesforming parts of fire-proof buildings of various descriptions,

the invention being also applicable in the erection of bridges andculvert-s.

One of the objects of the invention is to erect vaults and archesconstructed with concrete, cement, &c., and having artistic finishingfaces or ceilings, without the necessity of using the cumbersome andheavy wooden centers commonly employed in such work, and using for suchconstruction principally the same workmanship employed in the ordinaryconcrete arch building. To this end I make use of a simple course ofthin flanged tiles formed of cement, clay, glass, marble, or othersuitable facing material and built by means of a small andlight woodencenter-piece that is moved constantly all along during the construction.The workmen cannot with abso` lute safety lay the concrete, cement,tbc., over such simple course of tiles, because the weight of suchmaterial is too great and also because the weight of the men performingsuch work must necessarily rest immediately upon or over said structure.It is necessary to reinforce this thin structure, which in the completedarch serves as the ceiling of the arch,

otherwise it would be difficult, if not impossible, to properly unitethe superimposed arch material therewith. To render it practicable tomake use of such a thin tile arch as afonndation for the main body ofthe work, I employ a series of ribs made of tiles, which are arrangedabout two feet apart on top of the aforesaid thin tile arch, the saidribs serving to reinforce the thin foundation tile arch, and thus permitthe workmen to walk over the structure with absolute safety when layingthe concrete or cement, by means of which the arch structure iscompleted. It is also found that the material of which the aforesaidthin tile arch is composed is not ordinarily well adapted to adhere tothe super- The aforesaid my application for Letters Patent for cohesiveceiling-floor tiled March 1l, 1891, Serial No. 384,568, the saidcomposite sleeper comprising a metallic T-iron rod cemented within acurved or arched lire-clay jacket, on the top of which is anchored awooden sleeper.

A rib of this construction possesses the threefold advantage of a rod,brace, and sleeper, performing these several functions at the same time.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specilication, andwherein like parts are indicated by like letters of reference in theseveral views, Figure 1 is 'a transverse section of. an arch embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 is a ground plan of the construction shown inFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragment of a longitudinal section along the crow-nof the arch on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Figs. land 5 are respectively aside and end elevation of the tile which enters into the construction ofthe permanent center upon which the main portions of the arch structurerest. Fig. 6 is a transverse section vof an arch embodying my inventionand designed more especially for spans of short lengths. Fig. 7 is aground plan of Fig. 6. Fig. S is a longitudinal section along the crownof the arch, on the line 8 S of 7; and Fig. 9 is adetail sectional view,on an enlarged scale, showing the mode of securing the anchors ofthestructure in place.

Referring to the drawings, a a indicate rectangular tiles so providedwith iianges, as more particularly shown in Figs. 4 and 5, that one faceof the tile extends over two adjoining flanges, and the other face ofsaid tile eX-l thickness of the tile, so that when two tiles IOO of thegeneral configuration shown are joined together one of the upper flangeson one tile will cover part of one of the lower flanges of the adjoiningtile, a sufficient space being left between the tiles and the iianges topermit layers of binding material as well as metallic anchors to beinserted between the same.

When the simplest forms of Iianged tiles are made use of, as shown inthe drawings, and joined together, the joints between them will comprisethree sections, the lower and u pper sections being substantiallyradial, and the intermediate section substantially tangential to thecurve of the arch. Either the' two lower sections of these joints or oneof such sections I make of plaster-ofpai'is or any similar bindingmaterial that will set and l harden at onceor more quickly than themortar and cement' usually employed. This will admit of the immediateremoval of the small wooden centers employed in laying the tiles.

The several tile-arches illustrated in the drawings are shown to beconstructed of the iianged tiles a, whose lengths are about equal totwice their widths.

The preferred method of laying the tiles a, in building the arch onwhich to construct the main body of the arch is shown in Figs. l to. 3,wherein the edges of the tiles are laid at oblique angles to the basesor springs of the arch, and the tiles are so interlocked with oneanother as to bring each full tile in Contact with and make it engagewit-h sixother tiles, each long side of such a'tile coacting directlywith the end of one tile and with a part of the side of another tile. Itwill thus be seen that, even assuming the workmanship in making thejoints not to be perfect throughout the transfer of the thrust producedby an isolated load to large parts of the abutments is thus secured.

b b are the abutments between which the arch made ofthe flanged tiles ais built. I strengthen this arch by the use of metallic anchors f, whichare secured in the joints between the flanges of said arch when buildingthe same, and which, projecting above the upper surface of the arch, areembedded in the body of concrete or cement which is laid over the entiretop surface of the arch. When the concrete or cement is set, it will befirmly tied to the tile arch 'by the anchors f, which also serve tostiften and greatly strengthen the entirevstructure. In this embodimentof the invention the flanged tiles of which the arch is built may belaid to run parallel with the bases b b of the arch, as seen in Fig. 7,or obliquely to said bases, inthe manner above explained, and as seen inFig. 2.

In Figs. l to 3 the arch is completed by building over the foundationcourse of flanged tiles a, laid as explained above, longitudinal ribs cof tiles,which ribs form auxiliary arches between the abutments. Theedges of the tiles composing the ribs c form oblique angles with theedges of the tiles a underneath'. There is a series of these ribs orarches c, and

they will be arranged about two feet apart. They add great strength tothe thin tile arch, and in further work on the arch they render itperfectly safe for the workmen to walk over the large spans, in whichthis feature-the auxiliary arch--is intended tobe incorporated. Tofurther increase the strength and resisting quality of this type of archI addto the auxiliary arches or ribs c a layer of smaller tiles d. Thetiles 'd are cemented to the tiles of ribs c, so as to break the jointswith the latter, and theyextend between the abutments b Z9 the same asthe ribs c. All the joints between any of the aforesaid tiles except asotherwise described above when referring to the lower parts of thejoints between the tiles twill be made of cement., I further increasethe strength of the structure by placing on top of the foundation tilearch between the several auxiliary arches c and layers d on top of saidarches c a body of cement c, as shown in the drawings. The anchors f(which may be of heavy wire or strong sheet metal) are, as beforestated, inserted between the flanges of the tiles a composing thefoundation tile arch, their lower' ends being given for such purpose aform corresponding with a crosssection of the two upper sections of thejoint formed by the coacting flanges of tiles a. The upper ends of theseanchors are bent laterally, as shown, or given any other shape whichwill cause them to permanently engage with the cement e as the lattersets and hardens. The parts of the joints between the anged tiles a abeneath the cement e may IOO be made at the same time and by the sameoperation, as when building the body of the cement e between theauxiliary arches c on top of the thin tile arch. The cement e may alsobe applied over the top of auxiliary. arches c, so as to form acontinuous outer layer which will prevent any moisture from reaching anyjoint beneath it. Owing to the contact of the cement with the varioussurfaces of the tiles a, c, and d, and with the anchors f a perfect bondbetween all the parts of the structure is secured which will prevent alltendency -of vthe structure to crack. The auxiliary arches c, owing tothe angle under which they are laid with reference to the tiles a of thefoundation-arch are particularly well adapted to neutralize any tendencyin the latter arch or in any of its members to crack or separate.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and'desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, .with an'arch composed IIO 2. In an arch, a courseof tiles flanged on their sides and ends and laid under oblique anglesto the springs of such arches, substantially as set forth.

3. In an arch, a cou'rse of tiles having parallel fianges on oppositeedges and laid with two of their parallel edges under oblique angles tothe springs of the arch, substantially as set forth.

4. In an arch embodying a course of flanged tiles, the combination, withtwo adjoining tiles, of a metallic anchor for securing to such tiles thedesired arch material, such anchor inserted between the main body of onetile and the flange of an adjoining tile, substantially as set forth.

5. In an arch embodying a course of flanged tiles, the combination, withtwo adjoining tiles, of a metallic anchor for securing to such tiles thedesired arch material, part of such anchor inserted between the mainbody of one tile and the flange of the other tile, and another partthereof between the iiangcs of both tiles, substantially as set forth.

6. In an arch embodying a course of flanged tiles, the combination, withtwo adjoining tiles, of a metallic anchor for securing to such tiles thedesired arch material, the joint between the flanges of the tiles madesubstantially in three sections, and the anchor secured within the twoupper sections of such joint, substantially as set forth.

7 In an arch embodying a course of flanged tiles, the combination, withtwo adjoining tiles, of an anchor for securing to such course ofv angedtiles the desired arch material, part of the joint between such tilesmade of plaster-of-paris and part of cement, substantially as set forth.

8. In an arch, the combination, with a course of flanged tiles, thejoints whereof are made in part of plaster-of-paris and in part ofcement, the cement forming the upper parts of said joints and extendingover the upper surface of said course of flanged tiles to protect andstrengthen the same, 0f metallic anchors extending from such parts ofthe joints as are made of cement into the covering-body of cement,substantially as set forth.

9. In an arch, the combination, with a course of iianged tiles, of aseries of vindependent tile arches or ribs laid in cement on top of saidcourse of tiles, substantially as set forth.

l0. In an arch, the combination, with a course of hanged tiles, ofaseries of reinforcing bands or ribs of tiles laid in cement on entfilling the spaces between said bands or ribs, substantially as setforth.

11. In an arch, the combination, with a` course of'iianged tiles, of aseries of tile arches independent of one another and secured by cementto the top surface of said course of tiles, the edges of the tiles ofsaid course running at an oblique angle to the edges of the tilesconstituting said independent arches, substantially as set forth.

l2. In an arch, the combination, with a course of flanged tiles, of aseries of reinforcing-arches independent of one another and secured tothe top surface of said course Vof tiles by cement, and a second seriesof narrower arches Asecured by cement to the surfaces of the saidreinforcingarches, substantially as set forth.

13. In an arch, the combination, with a course of flanged tiles, of aseries of tile arches independent of one another and secured to the topsurface of said course of tiles by cement, a series of narrowerauxiliary arches of tiles cemented to the tops of said independentarches, and a body of concrete or cement covering both series of saidarches and extending between the same, substantially as set forth.

14. A composite arch consisting of a foundation of a course of .flangedtiles, a body of concrete or cement laid on top of said tiles, and

courses of tiles laid between said foundationy course of tiles and bodyof concrete or cement and separated from one another by parts of saidbody of concrete or cement, substantially as set forth.

15. In an arch, the combination, with a foundation course of flangedtiles, of a series of tile arches independent of one another and securedto the top surface of said foundation course by cement, a series ofnarrower arches of tiles cemented to the tops of said independentarches, bodies of cement laid on top of said foundation course of tilesbetween the several independent tile arches, and a series of metallicanchors secured between the flanges of the tiles of the said foundationcourse and extending into the bodies of cement between the saidindependent arches, substantially as set forth.

Signed at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,this 3d day of March, A. D. 189].

RAFAEL GUASTAVINO, J R.

V'Vitnesscs:

WILLIAM E. BLODGETT, FRIEDRICH SoHLUNs.

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